Stefan Kenic scored 17 points and Bobby Word added 12 for the Vikings (11-22), who play the winner of Sunday’s No.4 seed Oakland vs. No. 5 IUPUI game in Monday’s first semifinal.

Cleveland State tied it at 33 on Word’s 3, then tied it five more times after trailing by as many as six before Drew McDonald’s go-ahead free throw and 3 put NKU up 63-59. The Vikings closed to within a point six times before Appleby’s free throws gave Cleveland State its first lead, 74-73, with 3:49 left.

The lead flip-flopped until Carpenter’s 3-point play sparked a 10-0 run for an 84-75 Vikings’ lead with 1:02 to go. Lavone Holland II’s three free throws cut it to 84-78, but Carpenter, Word and Kenic combined for five free throws in the final 44 seconds to seal it.